Eli Lilly 2011 Annual Report Download - page 146

PROXY STATEMENT
• Dogs and cats were pressure-hosed with a bleach solution;
• A worker attempted to rip out a cat’s nails by forcing the cat to clutch a chain-link fence and then violently pull-
ing her away.
According to Food and Drug Administration documentation, our Company contracted PLRS to conduct experiments
on more than 100 dogs.
Given that 92% of drugs deemed safe and effective when tested on animals fail in human clinical trials, there is a
also a clear scientific imperative for improving testing methods.
Shareholders cannot monitor what goes on behind the closed doors of animal testing laboratories, so the
Company must. The Board must ensure that animal welfare and replacement measures are an integral part of our
Company’s corporate stewardship. We urge shareholders to vote in favor of this socially and ethically important
proposal.
Statement in Opposition to the Proposal Regarding Transparency in Animal Research
We share the concerns raised in this shareholder proposal. We abhor mistreatment of animals and we are commit-
ted to the appropriate treatment of animals in research. However, the public policy and compliance committee of the
board has reviewed this proposal and recommends a vote against it.
We are committed to quality research-animal care and use, the responsible use of animals in medical research,
and the use of alternative methods whenever possible and appropriate. We do not condone, in any form, the
mistreatment of research animals, and we recognize our fundamental ethical and scientific obligation to ensure the
appropriate treatment of animals used in research. We have processes and procedures in place to ensure humane
treatment of animals, including programs for oversight by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or an
equivalent ethical review board, as well as veterinary oversight at every site—both ours and contract laboratories.
We have been accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care
(AAALAC). AAALAC accreditation rules and standards can be found on the AAALAC website (www.aaalac.org). This
accreditation is a voluntary process that includes a detailed, comprehensive review of our research animal program
including animal care and use policies and procedures, animal environment, housing and management, veterinary
medical care, and physical plant operations. We currently publish our animal care and use principles on our website
(www.lilly.com).
For safe and effective medicines to be available to patients, U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies have mandated
that a defined amount of research be performed in animals. Where animals must be used, we take every measure to
assure that the lowest number of animals is used and that discomfort and distress are either eliminated or mini-
mized.
As a global company, we develop contractual relationships with select laboratory-animal research and animal-
supply companies inside and outside the U.S. We seek to do business only with those companies that share our
commitment to animal welfare. We require these companies to maintain a quality animal care and use program. To
ensure animal welfare, we assess third-party organization adherence to these expectations. If events suggest a
laboratory has failed to meet our standards, we promptly investigate and act upon the allegations. These actions may
include termination of a business relationship.
Given the information on animal care and use already published on our website, we believe an annual report is
unnecessary.
The board recommends that you vote AGAINST this proposal.
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